FREMONT, Ohio — A 30-year-old Gibsonburg man pleaded guilty last week to 10 felony counts in a Sandusky County child sexual abuse material case, about three months after a grand jury indicted him on 25 counts.
Spencer Linke, 30, of the 100 block of West Madison Street, entered the pleas to 10 second-degree felonies before Sandusky County Common Pleas Judge Jon M. Ickes on Wednesday, June 24, according to court records. The court accepted the pleas, entered a finding of guilt and continued Linke’s bond.
The counts to which Linke pleaded guilty include charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person. He pleaded guilty to the 10 counts in exchange for the dismissal of 15 additional felony charges, according to court records.
Ickes scheduled sentencing for Monday, Aug. 17, at 1:30 p.m.
A Sandusky County grand jury indicted Linke on March 20 on 25 second-degree felonies — 14 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person and 11 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, court records show. The indictment alleged that between December 2024 and April 2025, Linke possessed or downloaded multiple videos depicting minors engaged in sexual activity, as TiffinOhio.net reported in April.
Linke pleaded not guilty on March 27 and was released on a $75,000 surety bond with no 10 percent option, posted through a bail bond company. A jury trial had been scheduled for June 30 before he changed his plea. He is represented by attorney Samuel Gold of Northwood.
Each second-degree felony count carries a maximum of 12 years in prison, according to court records. Under Ohio’s indefinite sentencing law, a judge selects a minimum term from a range of two to eight years, with a maximum equal to the minimum plus 50 percent; an eight-year minimum yields the 12-year maximum. When a defendant is sentenced on more than one felony, the counts may run concurrently or consecutively at the judge’s discretion.
A conviction under either statute also classifies Linke as a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to verify his home and work addresses every six months for 25 years, court records state.
